The dispersion of ingredients such as flavorants and colorants into chewing gum is disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,399,154, 4,978,537, 5,045,326, 5,108,762, and Japanese patent publication no. 58-94350 published Jun. 4, 1983.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,399,154 discloses a coextruded chewing gum comprising an extruded center portion surrounded by and bonded to an extruded outer shell portion. Liquid flavor, it is disclosed, may be physically pumped into the core portion during coextrusion whereby the flavor will soak into the gum center but will not migrate into the outer or shell portion. The flavor may be injected into the chewing gum at one or several sites during the extrusion of the gum. Injection into the chewing gum at several sites of addition rather than one large center is preferred to enable flavor to more easily migrate into the body of the chewing gum. Smaller sites of liquid flavor addition, it is disclosed, will also minimize the occurrence of "voids" or pockets throughout the center which may interfere with organoleptic qualities. The coextruded chewing gum, it is taught, may be multi-colored and/or multi-flavored, that is, the core portion may be of a color and/or flavor different from the color and/or flavor of the outer shell portion.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,978,537 and 5,108,762 disclose gradual release structures for the release of active agents in chewing gum. The gradual release structures are formed by melt spinning techniques. The active agent may be a powdered flavor oil. They must be solid or in the form of powders including liquids encapsulated by spray drying techniques or liquids adsorbed or absorbed into or onto a supporting matrix. The structure is in the form of a fiber having a support matrix having an active agent dispersed throughout the support matrix.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,045,326 discloses injection of nitrogen gas into a bubble gum composition during a pressurized extrusion of the gum to obtain a non-staling reduced density bubble gum. A suitable extruder, it is disclosed, is a screw process extruder in which openings have been provided for incorporation of gas nozzles. The openings in the extruder, it is stated, should be formed in the center of the main auger extrusion tube area.
Japanese Patent Publication No. 58-94350 (published Jun. 4, 1983) discloses dispersing pigment in chewing gum base with gluten. Gluten, it is disclosed, results in a chewing gum of deep color and the pigment is hardly dissolved out during chewing.
The production of marbleized or veined extruded products other than chewing gum using multi-port injection and downstream partial mixing is disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,174,779, 4,259,277, 4,474,545, 4,524,081, 4,921,414 and 5,088,909.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,174,779 discloses apparatus for extruding varicolored plastics, such as casein. The production of extruded cylindrical shapes which are variegated both as to cross section and surface is accomplished using a die and rotatable cylinder. The number of passages in the rotatable cylinder does not correspond with the number of passages through the die. Different colors are ejected from passages in the cylinder. The three passages of the stationery die are alternately fed by the four passages of the rotating cylinder ejecting alternate colors. The cylinder is fed with the plastic material of different colors by separate extruders.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,259,277 discloses a method and apparatus for injecting different colors into a stream of homogenized plastics material in the production of insulated electrical conductors having color codes on their surface. Different colored pigments are injected through probes which serve to divide the boundary layer of the plastics material to provide a space in which the pigment can flow. As the plastics material passes between the gears of a gear pump, the mass is masticated and the coloring pigments are mixed and somewhat dispersed in the basic plastics material. The major portion of the pigments remain in the boundary layer so as to result in an extruded product having clearly discernable strips of colorant on its surface.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,474,545 discloses a device for the production of multi-colored marble soaps from a base paste and one or more liquid pigments. Pressurized colored liquids are inserted in the base mass immediately upstream or in correspondence with a homogenizing means or perforated plate. A rotor is arranged between the perforated plate and the extrusion hole for providing partial mixing of the paste. The speed of rotation of the motor is adjustable from outside of the extrusion head and independent of the speed of the extrusion screw. The pressurized colored liquid circulates in a circuit, arrives at color distributing spokes, then after having passed through non-return valves is inserted into the compact material being processed. The rotor may be positioned in a conical length of the extrusion head or in the cylindrical section of the head.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,524,081 discloses the production of a marbled pet food by advancing a red pet food into a conduit and advancing a white pet food stream into a plurality of medial locations within the conduit by means of a plurality of nozzles. Stationary mixing elements are located within the conduit and are downstream of the nozzles. A moving mixing element can be employed in addition to the stationary mixing elements.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,921,414 discloses an extrusion apparatus for producing marbleized thermoplastic extrusions. The extrusion apparatus housing has an injector cavity in which is mounted an injection device for feeding in the thermoplastic marbling material. The injection device projects into the central passage. The injection device includes a plurality of injector ducts which open in the central passage at a variety of locations across the cross-section of the central passage. A wall of the central passage is provided with a riffled (helically ribbed) section or insert. The device is designed so that the central passage has a tapering constriction which narrows in the direction of the shaping outlet.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,088,909 discloses apparatus for extruding a marbleized synthetic resin strand. Rotation of a nozzle assembly causes an off-center opening to eject its inlay resin into the matrix resin mass in a passage at a location which moves within the matrix-resin mass.
The production of products having multi-colored patterns which are not chewing gums and which do not use multi-port injection in combination with downstream partial mixing is disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,315,724, 4,358,468, 4,834,639, and 5,114,724.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,315,724 discloses a multi-color molding process and apparatus for injection molding of a multi-color pattern of more than three colors. A molten resin mixing manifold around which the injection units are disposed, has resin passages communicating with nozzles through check valves.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,358,468 discloses the preparation of a marbled meat pet food. An extruder delivers the white phase to the cylinder of an ingredient receiving compartment by means of circular tubing. The red meat ingredient is forced into the compartment by an auger. The downstream portion of the compartment has a plurality of fixed, stationery, flow-restricting generally helically-shaped baffles. As the rectangular bar of red phase with a central core of white phase is forced through the blending section, the material is split and axially turned. It is this splitting and turning which creates the required marbling of the red meat phase with the smaller quantity of white fat phase.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,834,639 discloses apparatus for making a thermoplastic product from a base plastic material and at least one marbling or veining additive material, namely another veining or marbling synthetic resin. The extruded product has a marbled structure which is defined as visible veins of the additive within the base material, and hence an appearance that is inhomogeneous to the eye in cross section and along the periphery--usually through and through. The extruded products may be used in the furniture industry for pieces having a wood-like grain. As the extruded strand of base thermoplastic is forced through a mixing head at various locations around and outwardly of the axis, streamlets of the additive thermoplastic are supplied via feed ducts to form internal veining surrounded by a continuous layer of the base thermoplastic.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,114,724 discloses the production of multi-color pasta products. The added color preferably forms a striped or checkered pattern on the pasta and extends through the pasta. Different colored pasta compositions are formed into separate sheets and cut into strips. The strips of the two or more various colors are assembled to create a pre-form pasta sheet.
Design patents DES 271,344, DES 271,439, DES 271,534, DES 271,535, and DES 271,536 show two color chewing gum.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,855,146 discloses the production of chewing gums with sectional motif patterns. The same motif pattern in sectional area is presented throughout the whole length of the gum.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,145,696 discloses adding a rolling compound mixture to a preformed gum matrix to improve flavor impact and extend flavor duration.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,971,806 discloses multi-layered chewing gum having different rates of flavor release. The chewing gum compositions of each layer comprise sweeteners, flavors, and optionally at least one other conventional chewing gum additive.
Chewing gums containing compositions for controlled release of flavor bearing substances are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,485,118, and 5,116,627. In the gum of U.S. Pat. No. 4,485,118, one flavor is encapsulated within a water-insoluble coating. A separate liquid flavor is introduced individually for immediate release. In the composition of U.S. Pat. No. 5,116,627, a multiplicity of sweetener bearing polymeric particles and/or flavor bearing polymeric particles are dispersed in a chewing gum base.
The extrusion of veined or marbled pastes such as chewing gum using a tube and shell collector-distributor is disclosed in Italian Patent Publication No. 1,031,536 (published May 10, 1979) and corresponding German Patent Publication No. 2,523,836 (published Aug. 19, 1976).
A heterogeneous chewing gum composition having long lasting flavor duration and a marbleized appearance is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,808,418. In the process of U.S. Pat. No. 4,808,418, a hard gum base is mixed with a soft gum base.
The introduction of chewing gum ingredients at different points along the length of a corotating twin screw extruder is disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,045,325 and 5,135,760. In both processes, a substantially homogeneous chewing gum mass is produced.
Apparatus for making center-filled chewing gum is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,125,819. Chewing gum is extruded through an orifice to form a gum rope with a hollow interior of predetermined volume. A powdered center-filled material is poured into the hollow interior of the gum rope as it is being extruded.
The present invention provides for the production of chewing gum having discrete areas of colorant, flavorant, therapeutic, or other additives, ingredients or compositions. A plurality of liquid compositions are injected through individual injectors arranged both radially and longitudinally within an extruder and configured so as to avoid the creation of voids and flavor pools within the gum mass during and subsequent to injection.
Multi-colored and/or multi-flavored chewing gum may be produced by injecting a plurality of liquid flavoring and/or coloring ingredients into a chewing gum base of substantially greater viscosity to form different colored and/or different flavored stripes or veins. The stripes or veins may be partially disrupted to obtain a variegated pattern as to cross section but not as to the surface. Alteration of the internal pattern independently of alteration of a surface pattern may be achieved in the present invention.
The present invention also provides extrusion apparatus for the production of chewing gum having discrete areas of colorant, flavorant or other additives within a substantially homogenous base portion. A plurality of radially and longitudinally placed liquid injectors or probes are configured so as to avoid creation of voids or puddling in the gum mass downstream of the probes. The apparatus may be used to partially disrupt veins of the additive to obtain a variegated veined pattern as to cross section wherein the pattern differs substantially along the longitudinal direction of the extrudate. The apparatus may be used to create different patterns on the interior from those on the exterior of the gum extrudate.
Pieces of chewing gum produced in accordance with the present invention may differ substantially from one another internally even though they are cut sequentially from the same extrudate rope.